Legends Arise
by Arbiter08
Summary: [ON-HAITUS] Some guardians accomplish the impossible. These legends become known throughout the Last City for their feats, making their mark on history. This is their tale: the tale of a mad hive warlock, a pure unbroken titan, and the forgotten lone wolf hunter. This, is the tale of Toland the Shattered, Saint-14, and Alpha Lupi.
1. Hunted

Light

For the first time in what felt like ages, I felt light.

This was no fake light mind you. I could just... tell. There was something about it. It had a certain feel to it. Almost like you could reach out, and just touch it! The air felt like an ocean, with the light ebbing and flowing through it. It felt like I was in the middle of it all. Not like I was the center, mind you, but more like being in the middle of a busy street corner. There's motion everywhere, but you don't have anything to do with it. Whether or not you go with the flow of the crowd or you stand obstinate in it's way, you don't make any major change. Sure, there might be a few ripples, an odd glance or two, but the tide still ebbs and flows like you were never there.

I reach for the light, trying to get a sense of where I am. My eyes open, letting the light flow in. I gaze around, drinking in my surroundings. Green and gray and brown meet my eye, but it takes a little bit before I can make out what the colors are coming from. My vision sharpens, and objects start to take shape. Rows of gray streets covered in ancient rusted automobiles, coated with a fine green film of vegetation. Crumbling skyscrapers stood in defiance of the erosion of the city.

The initial grogginess of waking up having worn off, I stood up. The decrepit fountain and pathways told me that I found myself in some sort of park. In what was surely to be a recurring theme, vegetation had taken over the precisely chiseled stone. A small pool of water lay still in the fountain, algae growing in what was surely the remnants of the last major rainfall. I strode over, well, not quite strode. More stumbled my way across the slanted stones, tripping over every twig and only starting to catch myself once I was in arms reach of the fountain. Looks like I was still a bit shaky. In the pool a pair of deep brown eyes looked back at me, they were held in check by the mat of unkempt dirty blonde hair. To round off the defining features, a sharp jawline dominated the lower portion of my face. It wasn't quite chiseled marble, there was a bit of tissue softening the curve over.

Echoes pierced the silence of the city. Rock scraping against cement by the sound of it. I threw myself behind the fountain. Something rounded the corner just a street down. A lone figure prowled the street cautiously. It was hard to tell if it was hunting, or being hunted. The rifle in it's hand and the armor it bore were a dirty gray-green, almost perfect camouflage in the ruins of this city. Whatever it was, it was heading my way. With nowhere to run without exposing myself, I hid behind my stone deathtrap.

I could hear it's approach. Slowly, carefully, methodically, it made it's way towards my position. I searched for anything that I could defend myself with and came up empty-handed. Looks like I was only weapon. Against an unidentified opponent with a rifle, my chances were slim. I bided my time, waiting until it was just the right moment. When it was too close to use the rifle effectively, I charged. It saw me right away, but didn't have enough time to react. I smashed into it, knocking it backwards. I gripped the rifle, only to discover my opponent was too; only he gripped it with... four hands. I looked up into it's helmeted eyes... all four of them... and I knew, this thing wasn't human. It stood it's ground on it's, thankfully only, two legs. The camouflage patterning covered it's armor and the cape along it's back, and it boasted a strange symbol upon it's shoulder. It pushed back, trying to simultaneously wrestle back it's rifle and knock me to the ground. I pulled, swinging him around my side and knocking him into the fountain. The impact jostled him, but most notably, jostled his trigger finger. After a short second, a beam of blue light escaped from the muzzle of the rifle. The beam sped towards a one of the ruined automobiles. This automobile, oh so conveniently, just so happened to be a tanker. Again, oh so conveniently, it also just so happened to be the full of petroleum.

A fireball burst into the sky, the shock wave from the explosion sent me reeling. The light in the area felt dirty, as if the explosion tainted it. That was when it started. First, a single screech pierced the air. Followed by another, and another, and another, and another. Soon enough, it sounded like the city itself would collapse underneath the tremendous vocal pressure. Then, it stopped. I looked up at my inhuman adversary, and it looked back at me. In it's eyes I saw two things. Fear, and an offer. I can only imagine that when it looked back into mine it saw the same. The rifle nowhere to be found, we ran.

Time passed by in a blur as we sped past buildings, never stopping once. The screeching was no longer the shrill cacophony, but it was there, and it was more then enough motivation to keep going. Green orbs glowed in the darkness, so hostile that if looks could kill, we'd be dead ten times over.

Their hostile glare, however, apparently wasn't enough for them. Screeches sounded behind me, the same ones I heard earlier. I slid over a rusted car, shooting a look over my shoulder as I landed. All I saw was a horde of claws and teeth behind me. I don't know what they were attached to, but I sure as hell wasn't waiting around to find out. I leaped over a fallen lamppost, my ally ahead waving at me. It pointed towards a skyscraper, one with torn cloth banners stationed on either side of the door. The faded ornate symbols on them didn't look human, perfectly matching the symbol on my ally's shoulder.

A new screech pierced the air on my right. Something brown flew out of one of the buildings, heading straight towards my companion. The brown blur gripped my ally in one of it's clawed hands, it's cape flowing even though there was no wind. It didn't appear to have any legs either, merely floating above the ground almost magically. It brandished it's free claw arm, preparing to strike. Weighing the consequences in a split second, I acted. I leapt for my companion, wrapping my arm's around his captor's neck. It screeched, at an ear-splitting volume from this distance. The screech brought forth demons from the dark. Black spectres swirled around me, preparing to attack. I would have covered my ears and curled into a ball from sheer horror, except for the fact that my arms were a bit preoccupied clinging for dear life. The demons tore into my arms, fiercely fighting to get me to release their master. In a blind rush of pain, I conceded. I tumbled to the ground, content to just lay there for a while. My mind was nothing but pain, I could barely even stay conscious from all of it! I felt something grab me, it tried to move me, but I cried out in pain. It threw me onto it's shoulder, my arms feeling like they were dipped in molten lava. The pain flared up, and my consciousness faded out.


	2. Kovran

The wind whistles through the trees, gently nudging the leaves as it passes by. The grass waves to the sky as the wind passes by, less soberly and more like it was wishing it well on it's journey. I sprint up the grassy hill, leaping from small bump to small bump with the grace of a falling cat, but as nimble as a deer. I reach the top, staring in awe at the puffy clouds passing by in the deep blue sky. The wind is the strongest up here, almost pushing me over! I gasp in surprise as a black blur bowls me to the ground, but close my mouth as something warm and wet grazes my cheek.

"Ella!" I exclaim, as warm brown eyes gaze back at me. My friend yips in happiness, wagging her tail. My hands reach out towards her, the soft yet firm hands of a youth whose adventures in the wilds have not left him completely unscathed, yet one who comes back every time. My hands stroke my pet's coarse black-and-white speckled fur. Ella deftly dashes to my side as I sit up. Noticing the flowers on the hill around me, I reach down and grab one. I lift it off the ground, examining it closely. The seemingly countless petals capturing my gaze and my interest. A wet black nose shows interest in the flower as well, sniffing it in my hand. The tags on it's collar jingling.

"Do you want it Ella? Do you want the flower?" I tease. My speckled friend responds with a happy yip. I open my palm, and she carefully picks it up in her mouth. "Good girl!" I exclaim joyously, reaching behind her ears for that sweet spot that just seems to melt dogs into a big puddle of happiness. The relaxed look on her face just melts my heart, right up until she sneezes. The sheer force of it shoots the pollen on the flowers around us up into the air, and I burst out laughing. A joyous laugh, one of a youth whose innocence outweighs his experience. One who hasn't had everything taken from him. The laugh of someone who is genuinely happy.

"Rise" a voice penetrates the scene. I don't seem to notice, laughing my heart out. "Rise human!" the voice insists. My head jostles back and forth as the scene slowly fades away. I hack and cough, trying to loosen the knot in my throat. "Good, human is still alive." I loosen my eyes open. In front of me stands the speaker, and presumably the one who woke me. All four of his eyes searching me, the bright blue in them a stark contrast against the flowing green and gray cloak behind him. My unlikely ally stands before me, and judging by his hesitance, and lack of hostility, he hasn't forgotten my actions earlier.

"Human has saved Kovran. Kovran did not think human would help a scavenger." My unlikely ally, named Kovran, shifted. "Kovran will return human to human's people as repayment. Kovran is curious though, why would human help a scavenger that human attacked earlier?" I cleared my throat, stalling for time to think.

"I attacked because I was afraid you would attack first. With your weapon, if you attacked me I would have had no chance unarmed. So I had to attack first, it was the only way I could have possibly won."

"Very strategic of human-" Kovran started, before I cut him off.

"You don't need to keep referring to me as human."

Kovran inclined his head. "Then what is human's name?"

I open my mouth to respond... but nothing comes out. I think back, trying to remember. Nothing. Wait... I'm remembering something. I remember tags, tags on a collar. For a split second, Dog Tags flash in my memory. I see them in my hand. All I can read on the dog tags is a single name.

"My name is Toland," I reply with confidence. Kovran nods.

"Kovran sees, but Toland has not answered Kovran's question. Why did Toland not leave Kovran in the claws of the hive?" So that's what was chasing us... at least I have a name for what will most likely plague my nightmares for weeks to come.

"As soon as that tanker exploded and the... hive... started to screech, we looked each other in the eyes. I could see in yours that we both just wanted the same thing: to survive. In that moment, you trusted me, and I trusted you to help each other escape the claws of the Hive. I wasn't going to violate that trust as soon as it became convenient."

Kovran nodded in agreement. "Toland has shown valor, and rescued Kovran. For that, Kovran is thankful. If Kovran meets Toland again, Kovran will not forget." The scavenger extended his hand towards me, in what I would assume as a near-universal gesture of friendship. I took his hand in my own, and he pulled me onto my feet. Pain tickled my arm as I did, and this was when I noticed that claw marks stretched across my arm. Surely it would leave scars. For now though, the pain was manageable.

"Kovran cannot trespass upon House of Light's lands, so Toland must finish journey alone." The scavenger hit a button on the side of the room we were in with one of his lower arms. Six circles sparked blue on the floor, before the panels slid open. Kovran gave me a nod, and I leapt down the hole. After an extremely brief fall, I landed on the grassy ground on my hands and knees. As I stood up I gazed into the sky. Six panels closed on the underside of a gray-green ship, which then sped off into the distance with a rush of wind.


	3. The Forest

After Kovran's ship departed, I turned around and scanned the area he dropped me off in. Dense forest greeted me, with a canopy so thick that sunlight glistened through in only a few select places. Cracking my knuckles, I eyed up the tree in front of me. The branches stemmed out and upwards, and man, they look sturdy. These trees seem ancient, but more importantly at the moment, suitable for my purpose. I kneeled down, then dashed forwards. The moment my foot touched one of the large roots jutting out of the ground, I leapt up. My hand caught on one of the larger branches, and I dangled there for a split second before swinging my other hand up to meet my first. I pulled on the branch and walked myself up the trunk until I sat on top of the branch. Now that the hard part out is of the way, I scaled the tree branches through a process of reaching for a branch, shifting my weight, and pulling myself up. In no time at all, I was above the thick canopy.

The bright blue sky illuminated the land as songbirds sung their tune in the forest below. Overall, the scene seemed to be something out of a painting. That wasn't what truly caught my attention though... off in the distance, something loomed over the horizon. The sheer size of if was just mind-boggling. It just towered over everything nearby, dwarfing even the sun in the sky. It might as well be the sun, because not only was it a massive sphere, but it gave off an enormous amount of pure light. I could just feel it radiating from the giant sphere.

Beneath it, a vast city sprawled across the landscape. Skyscrapers stretched towards the sphere, none of them even coming close to touching it. The city shone with light, spotlights shining across the buildings and the belly of the sphere. I could see smaller lights whizzing to and fro between the buildings. This city was so different from the one I woke in. This one... it was alive! I can just imagine the streets bustling with people, in stark contrast to the mossy overgrowth and... hive. God, I can still imagine their claws tearing into me. I shivered a little at the thought of them. Shaking it off, I started to climb down.

That is, until I heard a loud snap echo through the forest around me.

I perked up instantly. Another snap, this one sounded close. Did I miss one earlier? If it was making this much noise then it undoubtedly made more earlier. I scanned the area, slowly, methodically, not wanting to miss a single detail. A flash of movement caught my eye. A flourish of cloth, spotted through a small shrub. I ducked behind the thick trunk I had climbed up earlier. Moments later, I spotted something again. This time, in the clearing. A lone figure kneeled in the grassy patch where I landed, inspecting the ground. It must be on my trail. It reached up to it's ear, and then it spoke.

"This is Alpha, reporting in." It waited a moment, then spoke again. "No sign of the Fallen dropships in the area, or any of their crew. However, there's a trail left by someone Human Exo or Awoken. Will be investigating further shortl-" He cut himself short as a branch underneath me snapped and fell to the ground. I almost fell with it, but I quickly grabbed onto a more sturdy one and stopped my fall. What a stupid move on my part, giving myself away like that!

"...ly. I'm moving in to investigate, Alpha out." The figure stood, shifting his hand to his waist. Underneath it's cloak I suspect something much more sinister then what meets the eye. "Come on out, I won't harm you if you step out from behind that tree with your hands in the air." It, well, he spoke, judging by his voice. It wasn't extremely masculine or a deep throaty bass or anything cliché like that, no, but it sounded distinctly male.

I searched the treetops, looking for a way out; plotting courses leaping from branch to branch to escape. No, that'd make to much noise. He has a gun and could easily peg me from this distance assuming he has any kind of experience shooting it. Up the tree? No, he could just climb up after me and we'd be back to square one. Absentmindedly I picked up a pine cone and started lightly tossing it. I could leap at him, but once again, he has a gun and I don't. Slide down the tree and run? Again, if he knows how to point and pull the trigger, I'm done. I look at my hand, and the brown spiny object inside. Throw pinecones at him? No, that's just idiotic. That would never... I paused for a second. Then, an evil grin spread across my face.

A loud thwack sounded through the forest, right behind the man below me. He spun around, drawing his gun and pointing it at the spot the sound came from. Thwack, thwack, thwack! More crashes all around him. Oh god panic, you're surrounded by enemies! The fear was evident on his face. Then, I tossed the largest one directly away from me. He spun around, revolver shaking in his hand. Hoping to whatever god was watching, I vaulted off the tree. Thank god, it was silent enough and my aim was true. He didn't turn around until I was right on top of him. I saw the terror in his eyes as I crashed straight into him.

The momentum from falling brought us both tumbling into a roll. We crashed into a thick tree trunk, thankfully he was the one that hit it. As he lay there dazed I scooped up his revolver, took a step back, and pointed it straight at his visor. When the mental fog cleared enough for him to notice the oily barrel pointing at his head, he jolted awake.

"Don't make any sudden movements. Now tell me, who do you work for?" I "politely" implored the poor soul on the ground.

"I-I-I work f-for the Tower, I'm a Guardian." He shakily responded. He was clearly terrified at the whole situation. I mean, I can't blame him. I'd be pretty shaken up if I heard noises all around me and then some crazy lone wolf leapt at me from a tree only to hold me at gunpoint. Kinda like how I attacked Kovran... Christ, I just realized how bad I was at first impressions. I mean, I'm not all that scary if you get to know me! Back to the matter at hand though.

"What is it that you 'Guardians' do?" I asked him.

He puffed up his chest a little bit. Oh boy, we got a noble crusader here. This poor little boy was probably brainwashed into believing some old coot's messed up creed. How much do you wanna bet that his quest is to convert everyone to Cthulu-ism and to exterminate all of the heretics remaining in this god-forsaken world of ours?

"A Guardian's job is to protect humanity. We defend the Last City and the Traveler from the forces of the darkness that threaten to stamp us out for good." Well, that certainly seems more then something he just pulled out of thin air. Maybe he didn't learn it from some _crazy_ old coot, perhaps it was just a normal old coot instead. Wait...

"How many more 'Guardians' like you are there?"

"Hundreds, and we have thousands of soldiers to back them up." He said. A realization dawned on me. He must be figuring it out too, judging by his growing confidence. These might be the wrong people to hold one of their scouts at gunpoint. I just messed with the wrong people. Who knows what they'd do to me if they caught me? I doubt they'd even let me into the city.

"Fuck me..." I muttered under my breath.

"Gladly" a voice behind me whispered dangerously, right as an arm wrapped around my throat.

* * *

Hey everyone! Arbiter here. I've refrained from leaving an author's note thus far because those who would drop the story in the first two chapters probably wouldn't care too much what I had to say. Plus not having me pop my head in helps with pacing if you're binge reading this in the future.

I've noticed an almost criminal lack of stories that truly dive deep into the lore of Destiny. One of my favorite aspects about it is all of the lore! (Grumbles about having to go to the site to read all the grimoire cards.) So, I felt like I should pay a little homage to it! I hope you enjoy it!

P.S: The summary might change every now and again, it's nowhere near finalized. So don't be surprised to come back to something different in a few weeks time!

P.P.S: Thank you forestfire21 for the reviews!


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